A magnitude-6 earthquake jolted the eastern Philippines Thursday, but no casualties or damage were reported, dpa quoted the government as saying. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the earthquake struck before dawn off Virac town in Catanduanes province, 360 kilometers south-east of Manila. Government seismologists said the epicenter of the earthquake was located at sea 156 kilometers north-east of Virac at a depth of 31 kilometers. No damage or casualties from the earthquake were expected. The Philippines, which lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", is hit by about 10 earthquakes everyday but only a few are actually felt. The worst earthquake that struck the country was in 1990 when a magnitude-7.7 tremor killed nearly 2,000 people in the northern island of Luzon.
